=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ ACM WASHINGTON UPDATE U.S. Office of Public Policy of the Association for Computing Machinery +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ September 21, 1999 Volume 3.3 +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= CONTENTS =+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ INTRODUCTION POLICY BRIEFS: Administration Proposes Looser Encryption Standards Congress Cuts Science Funding ICANN Receives Support From Industry Execs Forrester Research Claims Low Privacy Policy Compliance Microsoft Paid For Academic Assessment Of Anti-trust Suit +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= INTRODUCTION =+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ The Association for Computing Machinery is an international professional society whose 80,000 members (60,000 in the U.S.) represent a critical mass of computer scientists in education, industry, and government. The USACM provides a means for promoting dialogue on technology policy issues with United States policy makers and the general public. The WASHINGTON UPDATE reports on activities in Washington, which may be of interest to those in the computing and information policy communities and will highlight USACM's involvement in many of these issues. To subscribe to the ACM WASHINGTON UPDATE send an e-mail to listserv@acm.org with "subscribe WASHINGTON-UPDATE" (no quotes) in the body of the message. Back issues are available at: http://www.acm.org/usacm For information about joining the Association for Computing Machinery, see: http://www.acm.org/membership/join.html =+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ ADMINISTRATION PROPOSES LOOSER ENCRYPTION STANDARDS In the wake of the recommendations of the President's Export Council Subcommittee on Encryption (PECSENC) to lower encryption export barriers, on September 16 the White House proposed the Cyberspace Electronic Security Act of 1999, which lower barriers to encryption export. While exportation of encryption has not been deregulated, the White Houses proposal includes: * Encryption products will go under a one time review, and then can be sold to overseas distributors (without having to verify end users), except for seven countries including Iraq and Libya. * Abandons case-by-case licensing requirements for each end-user. Civil rights groups have balked at CESA provisions that include a $500 million appropriation to develop government computer security, an $80 million appropriation to help law enforcement deal with encrypted communications (the FBI Technical Support Center), legal framework for law enforcement access to decryption keys, and provisions to protect the confidentiality of decryption techniques developed cooperatively by government and industry. The details of the White House proposal are scheduled to be available December 15. More news available at: http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-120817.html http://news.excite.com/news/r/990917/02/net-exports CESA text available at: http://www.epic.org/crypto/legislation/cesa/bill_text.html =+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ CONGRESS CUTS SCIENCE FUNDING The House of Representatives approved 235 to 187 of the $ 93.8 billion budget that includes financing for the National Science Foundation and NASA. Despite efforts within and without the House, most amendments attempting to raise funding for science failed. The Senate Appropriations Committee approved a bill that would allocate all the funds that have been requested for the National Science Foundation. The House version of the appropriations bill would fall $275 million short of that request. Due to the 1997 balanced budget agreement, the House appropriations had only $ 73-billion to spend, $ 16-billion less than the 1999 fiscal year expenditures. More news available at: http://www.aip.org/enews/fyi/1999/fyi.99.135.htm =+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ ICANN RECEIVES SUPPORT FROM INDUSTRY EXECS On September 16, the Global Internet Project (GIP), an international group of 13 senior executives committed to spurring the growth of the Internet worldwide, called on industry, government and individuals to support the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) "The GIP is firm in its commitment to support a transparent, participatory process - and ICANN is working hard to provide that. In fact I see no other existing, viable alternative," said Vinton Cerf, Senior Vice President at MCI WorldCom. MCI WorldCom Inc. has provided a $500,000 loan to ICANN. The latest deadline for Network Solutions Inc.'s monoploy of the domain name registration business will expire September 30. ICANN has approved 64 companies that will compete will NSI to register domain names. Many details of the transfer of registration power still linger, including access to NSI's database, terms of the competition and the policy over individuals preemptively registering domain names that companies would like to acquire, a practice sometimes known as "cybersquatting." The ACM Internet Governance Committee is an active contributor to ICANN policy. ACM Internet Governance Committee chair, Randy Bush, and Policy Analyst, Kathryn Kleiman, were among the initial organizers of the Noncommercial Domain Name Holders Constituency. Bush and Kleiman are currently on a small ICANN drafting committee working on revisions to the Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy to make the UDRP more fair for noncommercial organizations. =+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= FORRESTER RESEARCH CLAIMS LOW PRIVACY POLICY COMPLIANCE Contradicting recent FTC findings, a new report recently released by Forrester Research, Inc., claims that 90 percent of Web sites fail to comply with basic privacy principles. The Forrester report said that "most privacy policies are a joke," and that self-regulation was not working. The report also said that privacy policies are protecting companies more than they protect individuals. More news available at: http://www.ecommercetimes.com/news/articles/990916-3.shtml =+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= MICROSOFT PAID FOR ACADEMIC ASSESSMENT OF ANTI-TRUST SUIT Microsoft paid $153,868 for newspaper ads and other expenses related to the ads. The ads were placed by the Independent Institute and represented the view of 240 "academic experts" that the anti-trust case against Microsoft was counterproductive for consumers. Independent Institute president, David Theroux downplayed New York Times revelations that Microsoft paid for the ads and his air travel to Washington, claiming that the source of the funding had no effect on the findings of the experts. He said: "The academic process we use is independent of sources of revenue." Microsoft spokesman Greg Shaw confirmed Microsoft's role in placing ads in the New York Times and the Washington Post. More news available at: http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-202-121243.html =+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= Washington Update is a biweekly publication of the U.S. Public Policy Office of the Association for Computing http://www.acm.org/usacm 666 Pennsylvania Ave., SE, Suite 302B, Washington, DC 20003. 202/544-4859 (tel), 202/547-5482 (fax).